Below center of form roller auxiliary distributor roller



June 28, 1955 w. T. DANIELS 2,711,593

BELQW CENTER OF FORM ROLLER AUXILIARY DISTRIBUTOR ROLLER Filed May 25, 1951 i m lw W/LL/4M 7: DAN/6'45 :1 Home) BELQW CENTER OF FGRM ROLLER AUXILIARY DISTRIBUTOR ROLLER William T. Daniels, Pittsburgh, Pa.

Application May 25, 1951, Serial No. 228,319

1 Claim. (Cl. 101-353) This'invention relates to a novel distributor roller adapted to be applied as an auxiliary distributor roller to printing presses of the reciprocating flat bed type and disposed between the reciprocating bed of the press and the axis of the form roller or rollers which apply ink to a form supported by the bed and which auxiliary distributor roller has rolling engagement with one or more of the form rollers to eliminate ghosts and shadows which commonly occur in printing with reciprocating bed-type presses.

In reciprocating bed-type presses the form carried by the reciprocating bed travels back and forth under a revolving cylinder which having a sheet of paper applied thereto is forced down against the bed for transferring the ink from the form to the paper during the travel of the form in one direction, known as the printing stroke. The cylinder carrying the paper is then elevated and the form carrying the bed travels in the opposite direction and while so moving ink is applied to the form by form rollers which ride or have rolling engagement on the form. In modern presses of the type referred to in order to speed up the printing operation the length of the stroke of the bed has been materially reduced resulting in a considerable reduction in the available space for the form rollers and the extent of travel of the different parts of the form while in engagement with the form rollers and as will be readily apparent this has necessitated the reduction in the number of form rollers employed. Consequently, when printing with light colored inks and on forms having large solid areas the travel of the form areas in engagement with the form rollers is reduced to such an extent that peripheral portions of the form rollers from which the ink has been completely removed by large solid areas of the form are incapable of being reinked adequately by engagement with distributor rollers and vibrator rollers so that a substantial uniform coating of ink will exist on all portions of the form rollers, and l as a result thereof, other areas of the form are only lightly coated with ink which when transferred to the sheet produces a lightly inked area known as a ghost." Additionally, when the bed reverses its direction of travel and consequently causes a reversal in the direction of rotation of the form rollers, a portion of the periphery of each form roller which has previously engaged and inked the form does not travel far enough to be re-inked by a distributor or vibrator roller disposed above the axis of the form roller and consequently again rides over the form without having ink re-applied thereto, thereby producing areas of the form bearing different amounts of ink particularly where the form roller has just engaged a large solid area and which likewise produces ghosts or shadows on the printedsheet. To eliminate the unsatisfactory printing which thus results, it is a common practice to double roll the job i. e., have the press bed travel on one printing stroke when a sheet is not applied to the cylinder between each printing stroke where a sheet is applied to the cylinder. However, as will be readily apparent, this reduces the output of a press by one-half.

nited States Patent 9 2,711,693 Patented June 28, 1955 I The primary cause of ghosts and shadows in modern reciprocating bed high speed printing presses results from the fact that the form rollers are usually two and one-half inches in diameter and the form has a travel of about twenty inches so that each form roller revolves about two and one-half revolutions in engagement with the form on each inking stroke of the bed and as a result portions of the peripheries of the rollers engage the form three times while other portions thereof engage the form only twice and without adequate provision for compensating for the additional ink removed from the portions of the rollers which engage the form a third time.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide one or more auxiliary distributor rollers which are rotatably supported above and out of contact with the form but below the axis of the form rollers and in rolling engagement with the periphery of one or more form rollers for re-distributing the ink on the form rollers engaged by the auxiliary distributing roller or rollers and for accomplishing the re-distribution of the ink in close adjacency to the portions of the form rollers which contact the form.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary distributor roller disposed inengagement with one or more form rollers below the plane of the axis or axes thereof and which distributor roller is of substantially smaller diameter than the form roller or rollers so that the auxiliary distributor roller will revolve several times to each revolution of the form roller or rollers to more uniformly receive ink therefrom and distribute ink thereto to provide a uniform coating of ink over the entire periphery of the form roller or rollers.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide novel means for supporting and journaling the auxiliary distributor roller below the plane of the axes of the form rollers and above and out of engagement with the bed supported form and by which the auxiliary distributor rollers may be readily applied to existing presses of the reciprocating bed type and supported in a manner to insure against downward displacement of the auxiliary distributor rollers into contact with the form.

A further object of the invention is to provide an auxiliary distributor roller having adjustable journal means whereby the distributor roller may be adjusted vertically and thereby maintained in proper contact with one or more form rollers to compensate for wear and variation in diameter of the form rollers due to atmospheric conditions.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view primarily diagrammatic illustrating a conventional inking mechanism and a portion of a press bed disposed therebeneath;

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary top plan view of a portion of the structure as shown in Figure l and taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 2-4. of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view, partly in side elevation, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an end elevational view looking from right to left of Figure 2; I

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 55 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 1 illustrating a slightly different arrangement of inking mechanism and including a portion of the press cylinder to illustrate its location relatively to the inking mechanism;

Figure 7 is a view similar to Figure 3 on a reduced scale of a modified form of the bracket, and

Figure 8 is a side elevational view looking from right to left of Figure 7.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, a portion of a printing press of the reciprocating flat bed type is illustrated in Figure 1 and includes a conventional inking mechanism designated generally 16 disposed above a reciprocating bed 11 of the press. The specific construction of the inking mechanism is not important to the present invention except insofar as it includes three form rollers 12, 13 and 14 which are supported by conventional journals 15 at a proper elevation to have rolling engagement with a form, not shown, disposed in the bed 11. The roller 12 is inked by rolling engagement with a distributor roller 16 and the rollers 13 and 14 are inked by engagement with a vibratory roller 17 which is disposed above said rollers 13 and 14 and in contact therewith. The bearings 15 are adjustably secured to corresponding side rails 18 of the frame of the printing press, between which the reciprocating bed 11 is disposed and are adjustabiy clamped to said rails and are movable longitudinally thereof when released from clamping engagement. Each bearing 15 includes an upwardly opening yoke or U-shaped bearing portion 19 in which is journaled an end of a shaft 20 which is anchored in a form roller axially thereof. Each of the form rollers 12, 13 and 14 is provided with a shaft end projecting from each end thereof and the bearings 15 are arranged in transversely aligned pairs so that the projecting shaft ends aresupported and journaled in the aligned bearing portions 19 of a transversely aligned pair of said bearings 15. The press cylinder, not illustrated in Figure l, is disposed to the right of the right hand form roller 14 as illustrated in Figure 6 by the cylinder 21. Figure 6 illustrates a similar reciprocating bed type press having a slightly modified form of inking mechanism 10a and which is provided with only two form rollers 13a and 14a which are supplied with ink by a distributor roller 17a in the same manner as ink is supplied to the rollers 13 and 14 by the distributor roller 17. Likewise, each of the form rollers 13a and 14a is supported by a pair of brackets 15a in the same manner as the rollers 13 and 14. The parts previously described are all of conventional construction and merely illustrate two types of conventional reciprocating bed type printing presses with which the present invention may be employed and it is to be understood that the invention, hereinafter to be described in detail, may likewise be employed in conjunction with other types of reciprocating bed printing presses.

The present invention includes one or more auxiliary 5-.

distributing rollers, each designated generally 22 and which is of a length substantially equal to the length of the form rollers but of a substantially smaller diameter. Each distributor roller 22 is preferably formed of metal and has shaft ends projecting from the ends thereof and which are disposed axially of the auxiliary distributor roller, as seen at 23. Each auxiliary distributor roller 22 is supported by a pair of corresponding journal units, designated generally 24, each of which includes a relatively narrow bracket 25 having a notch 26 at one end thereof to receive a portion of one of the rails 18. Each bracket 25 is provided with a clamping strip or plate 27 which extends across the open side of the notch 26 and is adjustably secured to the bracket 25 by screw fastenings 28 which are tightened to cause the plate 27 to clamp the rail 18 in the notch 26. Each bracket 25 extends inwardly from the rail 18 on which it is mounted and from its notched outer end and is provided with a downwardly olfset inner end provided with a bore 29 extending vertically therethrough and in which a bearing post 36 is slidably disposed. The downwardly offset inner end of each bracket 25 is provided with a threaded bore 31 having an inner end opening into the bore 23 and an outer end opening outwardly of the bracket below its notched outer portion. A long setscrew 32 is threaded into the bore 31 and is advanced into engagement with the post 3%) for clamping the post in the bore 29 and with its upper end at different elevations relatively to the upper edge of the inner end of the bracket 25. The post is provided at its upper end and above the inner end of the bracket 25 with an annular head 33 in the bore of which is mounted an antifriction bearing 34 in which is journaled a shaft end 23. The inner side of the head 33, which faces toward the adjacent end of the roller 22 has screw fastenings anchored therein, the heads 35 of which overlie the bore of the head and an end of the bearing 34 to prevent the bearing 34 from being moved from right to left beyond its position of Figure 3. The upper portion of the head 33 is provided with an upwardly extending projection 36 having a threaded bore 37 extending therethrough from side to side of the head 33 to receive the threaded shank of a headed screw fastening 38, the head of which is spaced outwardly from the other, outer side of the head 33. A latch plate 39, as best sen in Figure 4, comprises an arcuate portion having a projection 40 extending from its convex edge intermediate of its ends and which is provided with an opening 41 which is loosely mounted on the shank of the fastening 38 adjacent the head thereof for swingably supporting the latch plate 39 against the outer side of the head 33. The weight of the latch plate 39 normally causes it to assume its position of Figures 3 and 4 with its concavely arced bottom edge overlying the outer end of the bore of the head 33 and the outer end of the bearing 34 so as to cooperate with the screw heads 35 to retain the bearing 34 in the head 33. However, it will be readily apparent that the latch plate 39 may be swung upwardly through an arc of from its position of Figure 4 and that the antifriction bearing 34 may then be removed from the head 33 through its outer side.

The head 33 is of a size relatively to its bore so that when the post 30 is displaced to a lowermost position in the bore 29 and so that the head 33 is resting on the upper edge of the inner end of the bracket 25, the antifriction bearing 34 will be disposed to support an end of the roller 22 at a level so that it will be above and out of engagement with a form, not shown, mounted in the reciprocating bed 11. Thus, the pair of bearing units 24 supporting the auxiliary distributor roller 22 will provide a positive means to prevent said roller from being displaced downwardly sufiiciently to contact and damage a form. The bracket 25 is made very narrow as illustrated in Figure 4 so that it can be conveniently disposed on its supporting rail 18 between two of the form roller supporting brackets 15, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 4. Likewise, as seen in Figure 4, the setscrews 32 are exposed at the sides of the press so that they may be loosened to elevate the posts 3% and heads 33 to displace the auxiliary roller 22, supported thereby, upwardly and into a position in contact with two form rollers which are disposed thereabove or a single form roller as illustrated at the left of Figure 6.

In the form of Figure 1 a pair of the auxiliary rollers 22 are shown disposed below the axes of the form rollers 12, 13 and 14 with one of the auxiliary rollers 22 being disposed beneath and in rolling contact with the form rollers 12 and 13 and the other auxiliary roller 22 likewise disposed beneath and in rolling contact with the form rollers 13 and 14.

As previously explained, ghosts and shadows are caused by the form rollers not turning sufficiently to insure equal distribution of the ink about the peripheries thereof particularly when the bed 11 is reversing its direction of travel so that after a considerable quantity of ink has been removed from a portion of the periphery of a roller by a solid area on the form unless the roller makes a complete revolution before reversing its direction of rotation, sometimes until it has made several revolutions, the ink is not uniformly distributed about the periphery thereof and as the result the form roller will apply a heavier coating of ink to certain areas of the form than to other areas thereof; however, when the auxiliary rollers 22 are provided each of said rollers will complete several revolutions to each revolution of the form roller or rollers which it engages and consequently will receive ink from each form roller to re-distribute it over the periphery thereof to produce a uniform distribution of the ink and will also take ink from the periphery of one form roller and apply it to the periphery of the other, less heavily inked roller. Additionally, portions of the peripheries of the form rollers after moving out of engagement with the form will not have to travel sufliciently to contact either the roller 16 or the roller 17 before being re-inked as a very slight rotation of the form roller will cause a portion of the periphery thereof from which the ink has been removed by a solid area of the form to contact and be re-inked by one or the other of the auxiliary rollers 22 with ink acquired from a more heavily inked peripheral area of the same roller or another form roller to thus insure substantially uniform inking of all of the form rollers throughout all portions of their peripheries at all times. It will likewise be readily apparent that an additional distributor roller 22 could be mounted to engage the outer side of the roller 14a as the outer auxiliary roller 22 engages the outer side of the roller 13a and if desired additional distributor rollers 22 could be disposed to engage the remote portions of the form rollers 12 and 13 as illustrated in Figure 1.

Furthermore, the distributor rollers 22 are of a di ameter greater than the maximum spacing between the form rollers even when worn so that when the form rollers are reduced in diameter due to wear or atmospheric conditions, it will be readily apparent that the auxiliary rollers 22 may be adjusted upwardly as previously described and thus maintained in contact with one or two form rollers, depending upon the location of the auxiliary roller 22.

Where vertical adjustments of the auxiliary distributor roller 22 is not necessary, as for example where the roller engages only one form roller as the left-hand roller 22 in Figure 6, a simpler form of bracket and journal may be provided as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 and which is designated generally 43 and which includes a bearing head 33a having screws 35a and a latch 39a for detachably retaining an antifriction bearing 34a in the bore of the head, which parts correspond to the parts 33, 35, 39 and 34, respectively. However, in lieu of the remainder of the unit 24, the bearing bracket 43 is provided with an outwardly offset depending flange 44 which bears against the outer side of one of the rails 18 and the head 33a is provided with a flat bottom surface 45 extending inwardly from the flange 44 which rests upon the'upper edge of the rail 18. The flange 44 has a longitudinal slot 46 through which extends'the shank of a headed fastening 47 which is threaded into the rail 18 and tightened for clamping the flange thereagainst. It will be obvious that the fastening 47 can be loosened to allow the bearing bracket 43 to slide longitudinally of the rail 18 to displace the auxiliary roller 22 supported by a pair of the bearings 43 longitudinally of the press and into engagement with the outer side of an end form roller such as the roller 13a of Figure 6. Downward displacement of the bearing 43 is impossible so that the auxiliary roller 22 will positively be prevented from contacting the form supported by the reciprocating bed 11.

From the foregoing it will be readily apparent that the principal inventive concept here involved relates to the provision of auxiliary distributor rollers disposed below the level of the axes of the form rollers and in contact with the peripheries thereof for re-distributing the ink over the peripheries of the form rollers close to the portions of the peripheries of the form rollers which are in contact with the form, to reduce to a minimum the possibility of any part of a form roller which is not inked coming in contact with the form and which due to the variations in sizes of the peripheries of the auxiliary rollers and form rollers, will cause a more equal and uniform disposition of the ink coating over all areas of the periphery or peripheries of the form roller or rollers engaged by each auxiliary roller. While preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it will be readily apparent that various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

An auxiliary distributor roller for use with a reciprocating bed type printing press having form rollers rotatably supported above a bed of the press for applying ink to a form supported by the press bed, and means rotatably supporting the auxiliary distributor roller above the reciprocating bed and with the uppermost portion of the distributor roller adapted to be disposed substantially below the plane of the axes of the form rollers, said auxiliary distributor roller being adapted to have peripheral contact with at least one of the form rollers below the level of the plane of the axes of the form rollers, said auxiliary distributor roller having shaft ends disposed axially thereof and projecting from its ends, said means comprising bearings adapted to be supported by side rails of the press in which said shaft ends are journaled, each of said bearings including an annular head, an antifriction bearing disposed in the bore thereof and receiving and journaling a shaft end, fastenings heads anchored to the bearing head and overlying the end of the antifriction bearing disposed adjacent the auxiliary roller, and a latch member swingably supported against the opposite, outer side of the bearing head and gravity urged to a depending position with a portion thereof overlying the opposite outer end of the antifriction bearing and cooperating with said fastening heads to retain the antifriction bearing in the bearing head, said latch member being swingable upwardly to a position above the antifriction bearing and out of engagement therewith to permit removal of the antifriction bearing through the outer side of the bearing head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 187,071 Weckerlin Feb. 6, 1877 282,956 Campbell Aug. 14, 1883 455,385 Brooks July 7, 1891 975,361 Johnson Nov. 8, 1910 1,622,742 Shipman Mar. 29, 1927 1,816,948 Wood Aug. 4, 1931 1,985,186 Miehle Dec. 18, 1934 

